ATLANTA — State Representative Sandra Scott (D-Rex) today announced that she is sponsoring House Bill 331. Otherwise known as the Jazmin Green Act, this legislation would change the ways that vehicles at day-care and early care facilities transport children.
“We need to take action to ensure the safety of our children,” said Rep. Scott. “Installing safety alarms in day-care vans is a simple way to ensure the safety of kids entrusted to day-care providers.”
HB 331 would require day-care and early care centers in Georgia to install a safety alarm in the rear of all vehicles that the day-care or early care centers use to transport children. The child safety alarms would require the driver to walk to the back of the vehicle to deactivate the alarm when the driver turns off the vehicle. By requiring the driver to walk-through the vehicle to turn off the alarm in the back of the vehicle, the alarm forces the driver to check each seat and confirm that every child exited the vehicle. HB 331 would also require that child safety alarms to be installed by a certified technician, and properly maintained by the day-care centers.
This bill was prompted by the death of Jazmin Green, who died at the age of two in 2011 in Jonesboro, Georgia. Daycare providers left Jazmin in a day-care van for approximately two hours after returning from a field trip. The temperature was in the low-to-mid 90s that afternoon, and by the time day-care providers noticed her absence, Jazmin was no longer breathing.
For more information on HB 331, please click here.
Representative Sandra Scott represents the citizens of District 76, which includes portions of Clayton and Henry counties. She was first elected into the House Representatives in 2010, and currently serves on the Human Relations & Aging, Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment, Science and Technology, and Special Rules committees.
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